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Post by Ann on Oct 10, 2008 16:34:59 GMT
No sooner had we arrived on Saturday than we read that on Saturdays and Sundays, we could see local dancers in a couple of the squares. We headed straight off to one square only to discover there was some cultural festival going on and instead of dancing, we were treated to a display of climbers all piling on top of one another. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten my camera, but this is a scan of a postcard and is pretty much the same as we saw. Health and Safety in the UK would have had an apoplectic fit at the whole thing! Some of the children we saw climbing to the top couldn't have been more than 4 or 5 years old.  The next day, we tried to see the dancers again, still no luck. This time we saw a brass band, which we think was visiting from Valencia and the small drum and pipe band in the pic, which we think was local. The music reminded me a lot of the Hewisi band in Sri Lanka.  At the end of La Ramblas, is the harbour and a statue of Colombus. (Note the lovely blue sky!)  This was a big square just off La Ramblas, full of restaurants and cafes. On Sundays, which was the day this pic was taken, a stamp and coin market took place there too.  One of the most visited places in Barcelona is the Sacra Familia church which was designed by Gaudi. A lot of new building was going on there, but it was still spectacular.    Just off La Ramblas is a big food market called La Bocheria. It was unbelievably colourful.  If you like chillies, this was the stall for you!  We had plenty of stops for coffee and sometimes cake.  A trip to Spain wouldn't be complete without a paella.  |
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Post by Lesley on Oct 13, 2008 21:34:05 GMT
great photos!
the tower of people must have been something to see live! i've only watched them do this on tv. lucky.
the market does look very colourful. did you purchase anything?
gaudi's chuch is very interesting - i think it has been included in every art history course i ever took.
how wonderful of the weather to co-operate while you were there.
perhaps we can start a post of photos taking while on holiday with blue skies to help us all through the long winter ahead!
Lesley
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Post by Ann on Oct 13, 2008 23:07:23 GMT
the market does look very colourful. did you purchase anything? Only a small jar of truffles. I've never tasted them and they were one of the few things that was a lot cheaper there. Good idea. They don't even need to be holiday shots as long as there's blue sky in them! |
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Post by Cathrin on Oct 20, 2008 11:15:10 GMT
Ohh Truffles ... Yum! Try with scrambled egg on toast with smoked salmon and truffle, Finely chop up about a 1/4 of the truffle in the scramble egg mix, put on to the hot buttered toast and lay some smoked salmon strips over the top. Makes a stunning Sunday breakfast or an extravagant first course or a quick evening meal  BTW, Spain has been getting lots of rain (not on the plain) and flooding, pleased you missed that  |
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Post by Ann on Oct 20, 2008 12:09:35 GMT
Thanks Cathrin, it's quite difficult to find a recipe that works for the small amount of truffle I have! That one sounds ideal and I love smoked salmon and scrambled egg! Most recipes either need about 4 ozs or just use the truffle as a garnish. One other recipe I've found that's tempting is this one.
Pommes de terre Mirette
1lb potatoes
butter
3 tblspns chopped truffles
4 tblspns meat jelly
pinch finely chopped tarragon
2 tblspns tomato sauce
1 oz butter
grated cheese
Cut the potatoes into cubes about 1 - 1½ inches long and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes.
Drain, and cook in butter until they are tender.
Add the truffles, meat jelly, tarragon, sauce and butter and mix all well together.
Put into egg dishes or ramekins, sprinkle with cheese and brush with melted butter.
Put into the oven for a few minutes before serving.
I only have enough truffle for about half the quantity of potatoes, but it sounds very tasty.
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Post by Cathrin on Oct 20, 2008 12:19:09 GMT
Woops, I forgot to say to cook the scrambled egg mix with the truffle in!! And for that extra taste of luxury add some double cream. Now I'm hungry ... LOL Also if you want to garnish a dish with truffle you can use the fine slicer on your cheese grater |
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Post by Silk on Oct 21, 2008 7:47:57 GMT
That sounds a rather heavy use of truffles! Maybe it's because of the other herbs? Most of the time you should only need either a few shavings (a Parmesan knife is good for that) or even when used whole, a single one finely chopped. BTW, my scrambled egg and smoked salmon recipe makes a very fancy breakfast, or even the base of a good evening meal (with plenty room for a nice desert ;D), and if you want a slight change use duck eggs. But it is one of the few times I will do my scrambled eggs in a pan rather than the microwave (normally the microwave makes much lighter and fluffier scrambled eggs) Another option is to buy some really good virgin olive oil, decant some into a nice smallish container and keep your truffles in it. That way you get some nice truffle oil for cooking with or as a base for salad dressing, and you still keep your truffles for special occasions. This way they should last a long time, and every time you use some of the oil, you just top it up, and you get even more We do this with our truffles (we buy a jar of three about the size of a button mushroom about once a year). |
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